Italian films?

[KobaniDaughters]

Have just watched Life Goes On and it was beautiful (with one of the best child actors I’ve ever seen), have also loved Life is Beautiful and realised I otherwise don’t know many italian films - any recommendations? I’ve seen quite a lot of French and Spanish films but would love to expand my Italian repertoire - the ones I’ve seen are drama as opposed to comedy (which is my preference anyway)

Track down Il Postino (the ⁿPostman). It's great.

If you can find it on a streaming service, A Chiambra is a beautiful film (released in 2017, saw it at Cannes that year). Perhaps on Curzon Home Cinema.

Cinema Paradiso is wonderful and won an Academy award in 1989. I haven't watched it for years but loved it. Must rewatch!

Lo sono L’amour. An Italian film set in Milan, Tilda Swinton stars, a lovely film.

Sorry, Io. Not Lo

Any Federico Fellini. They are all great.

The Son's Room (La Stanza del Figlio) is great but sad.

Great Thankyou - I have several streaming services and a public library’s streaming service that has most films you can’t find anywhere else so doesn’t matter if they’re normally hard to find.

I loved the tv adaptation of My Brilliant Friend as well

The Great Beauty, for anyone in love with Rome!

Do you like horror? If you do, the Italian contingent banged out some absolute classics and massively influential films.

Dario Argento, Lucio Fulci, Mario Bava, Lamberto Bava, Umberto Lenzi, Ruggero Deodato, Joe D'Amato and many more.

Warning in advance, some of the work is not easy viewing for various reasons and in a lot of cases, don't expect anything resembling a coherent plot or decent acting.

Watched ‘Made in Italy’. Not an Italian film as set, but set in Italy.

I loved Rose Island on Netflix!

Bianca
Caro Diario

I love Alice Rohrwacher's films Happy as Lazarro and The Wonders.

I second the recommendation for Cinema Paradiso, a must watch

@gillthewall

The Great Beauty, for anyone in love with Rome!

Thank you! Been trying to remember title of this!

Bicycle Thieves... amazing film

Mumteedum - La Grande Bellezza and I loved the bicycle thieves too!

Any film by Gabriele Salvatores (disclaimer, I’ve not seen the latest ones from the last couple of years).

Mediterraneo is brilliant and won an Oscar in the 90s, it’s a comedy set on a Greek Island during WW2 and very well made. Another one which I think is excellent is I’m Not Afraid (Io Non ho Paura), completely different genre about a kidnapped child (though not overly distressing) and the child actors are fantastic.

OP for comedy try Roberto Begnini (of Life is Beautiful) in Johnny Stecchino, he is very funny!

I love some of the old Sophia Loren movies, you can't find lots of them uploaded on you tube. "Pane, Amore & gelosia" not 100% on the spelling of that but the translation is bread, love & jealousy :)

I really like The Consequences of Love and The Great Beauty, both by Paolo Sorrentino and starring the same lead actor, but very different.

There are lots of brilliant neo-realist films, they are mostly pretty bleak though and I end up weeping so I have to be in the right mood! Rome Open City, La terra trema, Rocco and his brothers, Obsession, the Bicycle thieves.

The Gomorrah TV series is brutal but very well done, set in the rough parts of Naples like My Brilliant Friend, but now.

I really liked The Consequences of Love too. I remember it being quite Swiss though.
Good call on Io non ho paura too.
OP, you might like the Garden of the Finzi Continis.
I also remember liking Mine vaganti.

Mio fratello è figlio unico
Bianca come il latte, rossa come il sangue

On Channel 4 La mafia uccide solo d'estate
(The Mafia Only Kill in Summer) excellent series

Mediterraneo is very good. It's already been mentioned upthread but just giving a second vote.

The Life Ahead - I can't remember the Italian title. It only came out in 2020, I saw it on Netflix. Sophia Loren's last film I think. V moving
.